My experience of being on the dole was that employers seemed to consider people in work more seriously than those of us who hadn't worked in a while. I only got my current job because I worked there back in the eighties and knew one of the managers. Even my current boss often discards the unemployed out of hand, particularly from the Job Centre, over someone who is already working (demonstrable work ethic I suppose?).

The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.

I used to work in sales Won the "Highest Margin Earner" 2 years in a row..That was when I worked the mobile phone section Contracts earned the company (and me) loads But got sick of the pressure and bullsh1t so now I drive my blue van